The R & B singer has issued a statement expressing remorse ‘over what transpired’ and saying he is seeking counseling

Chris Brown is "sorry and saddened" over his alleged assault of the singer Rihanna, he said yesterday. His written statement arrived one week after the apparent altercation and was the first official release from either party.

Brown's comments confirmed none of the allegations and remained vague over what took place in the early hours of Sunday 8 February. "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," he said simply. "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones, and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person."

The alleged altercation took place shortly after midnight on 8 February. Police were called to a dispute in Los Angeles's Hancock Park neighborhood, where a couple had been fighting in a rented Lamborghini. The female victim – identified in numerous reports as Rihanna – received hospital treatment for her injuries. Chris Brown, Rihanna's boyfriend and also a singer, voluntarily surrendered himself to police later that day.

Brown was released on $50,000 bail and will appear in court on 5 March if authorities press formal charges.

"Much of what has been speculated or reported on blogs and/or reported in the media is wrong," Brown's statement continued. "While I would like to be able to talk about this more, until the legal issues are resolved, this is all I can say, except that I have not written any messages or made any posts to Facebook, on blogs or any place else. Those posts or writings under my name are frauds."

The statement was released by a public relations company specializing in crisis management, according to the New York Times.

"You think you know somebody, but you really don't," Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty, told People magazine this weekend. "At some point, she will speak out. I hope she will stand up for women all over the world." The Umbrella singer is currently residing in her native Barbados.

Despite the serious allegations, some of Chris Brown's peers have spoken out in his support. "Can't we give [him] a break?" asked Kanye West on Friday, at a recording of VH1's Storytellers.